... by Night
When staying in London, I like to enjoy a show in the evening, and of course Caesar comes too, but there are obvious concerns about the volume of the music and Caesars' health. With a little advance preparation it is no problem going to the theatre accompanied by an assistance dog.
When booking tickets, which is usually via a dedicated telephone number for wheelchair users, I have found it is best to mention that I will be accompanied by Caesar at that time, stating that he is a registered assistance dog from Dogs for the Disabled.
I have found staff to be most helpful, and willing to accommodate Caesar in the theatre away from the noise of the auditorium.
Of course, each and every time I have done this, I was nervous about leaving him in the hands of strangers, and asked many questions about where he would be, who would be with him, how secure the environment was etc. |
I carefully thought through what Caesar might need while in the company of strangers for 2-3 hours. I decided upon these items,
a blanket,
his favourite soft toy,
a water bowl,
a poop scoop,
a small bag of treats.
I thought about the treats long and hard, but decided that inevitably, people may fuss him and want to give him something to eat, and rather than have him eat something that is unsuitable, I decided to take treats and say, this is ok, but please don't give him anything else.
Another big consideration, bearing in mind the length of some of the shows, is the location of the nearest grassy area to the theatre. It is easy to forget that most London parks and squares close their gates at sundown, particulary the small ones in built up areas like The West End. So a little advance planning of Caesars' toilet needs was necessary. I also decided it would be a good plan to ensure that each person who looked after Caesar knew the appropriate commands for toilet purposes. |
The Lyceum Theatre ~ The Lion King
The Lyceum was one place where I had difficulty finding a bit of grass for Caesar beforehand. Thankfully, the theatre manager was on hand to ask about a nearby place, and he very kindly offered to take Caesar there during the show. He told me the nearest grass was an area just south of the theatre, at The Embankment, by the River Thames.
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The Dominion Theatre ~ We Will Rock You
The Dominion is in Tottenham Court Road, and I found the nearest suitable place to be Bloomsbury Square, just off Great Russell Street. It was a tidy walk from here to the theatre, but the best we could get! |
The Roundhouse ~ Michael Moore Live
The Roundhouse is in Chalk Farm, north London, and to the side of the theatre there is a car park which has plenty of vegetation around the edges, perfect for all a dogs needs.
As The Roundhouse is a theatre which various production companies use for a limited time, there are no permanent staff there who are able to look after assistance dogs. On this occasion, it did not matter, as I was advised that The Michael Moore Show would not be too loud. Caesar joined us in the auditorium, and slept through most of the show, although at times he was a little bemused by some of the antics Michael Moore got up to on stage. |
Wembley Arena ~ Elton John in Concert
Wembley Arena is set at the edge of the large Wembley complex, which essentially is a sea of concrete, however, to the front of the Arena, between the apron and the main road, there is a grassy bank, which Caesar found most suitable. |
The London Palladium ~ Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
As far as a dogs needs go, this is a very tricky theatre indeed.
Last accessible grass we came across was in Bloomsbury Square, about a mile east of the theatre.
The theatre staff were all very kind and seemed to enjoy looing after Caesar, they were more than happy to bring him to see me at the interval, and accompany me outside with him.
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In my experience, assistance dogs are most welcome at the above venues, and staff will do all they can to accommodate them. On each occasion we were greeted by a friendly member of staff upon arrival, I was introduced to whoever would be looking after Caesar, and then they showed me where he would be located. I was free to see him during the interval of the shows, and staff willingly escorted me to do this. They also brought him to me at the end of the show.
On the occasions I saw Caesar in the interval or during the show, he was either lapping up the attention of a member of staff or fast asleep on his blanket. Even though we did this on several evenings within a short space of time, Caesar showed no reluctance in getting to know, or staying with his dog sitters. I am sure the only one of us who did any worrying whatsoever was me, and that was largely fear of the unknown. |
"England Swings"
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k9assistance / WAMMorrell
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